What about those Vietnamese badminton athletes or soldiers? I used to have several friends who would gorge 'rice bowl' and 'chicken' for lunch yet lead normal lives in emaciated bodies, if not, own the court.

So we can theorize all day about tweaking diet and climate (not that these two are not important), but ultimately it boils down to good work ethics. How many of us are willing to wake up 4:00 am in the morning in Dhaka to go for a 4 mile jog?